


A Moment in Time

by Anonymous131



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged up five years, Before Korra, Drinking, Kind of ignores the comics, Kissing, M/M, Not LOK Compliant, Post-War, after the series, but might work with it, nothing else really, unless there was something the creators never told us
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:54:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25910911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous131/pseuds/Anonymous131
Summary: A quick moment in time after the war, during the Fire Nation's celebration of peace, Zuko and Sokka hangout enjoying the celebrations and fireworks from afar.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 96





	A Moment in Time

The celebration lasted through the evening and well into the night. Bursts of flames lit the streets, cheers and laughter drifting in the breeze, paper lanterns glowed warmly as music filled the air. It was a time of joy, intense and free, the war was over, had been for exactly five years today. The world breathed with life under the stars of the Universe and gazing upon them were two of the key players of ushering in the new era. Zuko blinked in a daze, settled on the ground overlooking the parade in the streets below, Sokka seated beside him. A torch illuminated the area around them, burning oil that mixed with the Summer grassweed caught in the warm night wind as it moved gently through. The celebratory drinks left a buzz in Zuko’s head, clouding his mind as he gave an agreeable hum in response to his companions impassioned words beside him. He’d lost focus of what they were conversing about currently, letting Sokka’s voice wash over him in a pleasant thrum of familiar noise as his mind drifted. The flames of the torch left shadows flickering across the ground, giving the world a hazy dreamlike quality. Zuko took another sip of burning liquid, listening to Sokka give a sharp bark of laughter as he concluded a rendition of yet another eventful meeting amongst one of the many foreign leaders he journeyed to see. As the Ambassador of the Southern Water Tribe, Sokka travelled almost as much as the group had before the end of the war, but he always made time to stop by, especially around celebrations like this, even when everyone else got too busy and the most anyone could spare was a letter from time to time.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” Sokka asked, looking over expectantly.

“Amazing.” Zuko nodded along.

Sokka scoffed, “You don’t even know what I just said do you?”

With a grin, Zuko laughed and went to take a drink, Sokka joined the laughter and gave him a playful shove. The quiet was nice as the lightning-cicadas buzzed outside the light, glowing in the grassweed.

“I can’t believe it’s only been five years.” Sokka said quietly.

“’Only’?”

“It just, feels like so long ago, you know?”

Zuko thought on it a moment and nodded. The world before the war felt almost surreal, like a story…or a nightmare. He leaned back to look at the stars again as Sokka took the bottle they’d made off with earlier.

“Gah! This stuff stings!” Sokka took another sip and winced.

“Why do you keep drinking it then?” Zuko asked in playful disbelief.

“Look, I can’t help your nation doesn’t know how to make a good drink, but I came here to celebrate!” He finished his declaration with large swig followed by the predictable coughing soon after. Zuko laughed, taking the bottle back and drinking some himself, minus the coughing, and gave Sokka a bland stare, tinged with amusement.

Sokka rolled his eyes, “Y’all are so mean to me. Why can’t you be nice sometimes?”

“I can be nice!”

With a huff Sokka leaned in closer, “Oh yeah? Say one nice thing to me, huh?”

Zuko blanked, with Sokka so close he could watch the flickering shadows dance across his face, the light gleaming in his eyes.

“Uh…you’re very…huggable?”

Sokka looked taken aback, “Huggable? Really?” He started to laugh as Zuko blushed.

“Well you give nice hugs!” Zuko defended himself embarrassment pouring through his skin.

“Man, I really thought that time being the Firelord in ‘high society’ would’ve taught you how to be less awkward.”

It was Zuko’s turn to roll his eyes, “Yeah, like they would’ve taught me anything. They’d rather let me fumble and talk behind my back when I leave the room.”

Sokka winced, “Yeah…well they suck anyway. You’ve got something better, you’re honest and a good person and you want to make the world a better place. So there.” 

Zuko felt a warmth at Sokka’s words, overshadowing any annoyed bitterness he’d felt before. Sokka moved on, returning to another anecdote about visiting the Earth Kings and being seated next to Bosco again. Zuko listened as attentively as he could, but found his mind wandering as he watched Sokka gesturing animatedly. He was wearing a mix of Water Tribe blues, the beads in his hair with the decorative jewelry showing off his culture, and the basic browns and dull greens used for traveling. For one moment, the bizarre wish to see him in Fire nation reds and golds passed through Zuko’s mind. He looked away and tried not to think on that any further. Even with the war reparations going well, there were still some tensions between the Nations, Tribes and Kingdoms that would last far longer than perhaps Zuko’s lifetime. He doubted Sokka would feel any desire to wear Fire Nation clothes when it wasn’t necessary.

“What’s on your mind?” Sokka moved closer to grab the bottle once more, their shoulders remained side by side.

“Not much.”

Sokka nodded and looked out at the lights in the streets, “I love these parades. Seems wherever you go everyone wants something to celebrate, but you guys really have it down.”

“Yeah, I guess so. The fireworks are nice.”

Sokka nodded emphatically, “Plus, it gives me a good excuse to come up and visit, you know, when you’re not busy.”

Zuko leaned back, a hand steading himself behind him as he looked over at Sokka. “You don’t need an excuse.”

“You missed the not busy part.” Sokka looked at him amused.

“I’d take the time off.”

“Really? You? Mister ‘Workaholic: the jobs not done ‘til I drop and die: I once tried to continue a meeting through an assassination’? Really?”

Sokka’s breath fluttered across Zuko’s face as he spoke and Zuko felt his body warming in response, his mind feeling more intoxicated by this moment than any drink he’d ever consumed.

“Of course.” Zuko breathed out solemnly.

Sokka’s eyes flickered as they watched each other. It seemed a bubble had formed around themselves. It was them and this indefinable moment, a charged tranquility, a peace in chaos. The world was blurring, Zuko’s breath catching.

For the life of Zuko, he could not tell you who moved first, only that there had been a blur of time and color and then a shiver crawling across his skin pleasantly as they kissed. The moment lasted forever, or hardly any time at all. Maybe time had simply stopped. Time was nothing, only this right here meant anything. As they broke apart Zuko struggled momentarily to regain his breath and Sokka grinned as his face lit up ecstatically. He gave Zuko another quick kiss and they laughed leaning into each other as they calmed down, taking comfort in one another as fireworks burst across the sky. And while this moment seemed so infinite together, they watched the celebrations as they continued on beneath them.


End file.
